Metallic piling



March 1, 1932. I W|LHELM| 1,847,507

METALLIC FILING Filed Feb. 28, 1929 Fig.1.

. v Fig.2.

'20 out, so that the piles Patented Mar. 1, 1932 UNITED STATES JOTIANNES NICOLAUS WILHELMI, F HAMBURG, GERMANY METALLIC PILING -Application filed February 28,1929, Serial No.

This invention relates to metallic piling of the type in which the piles are interconnected by tonguesand grooves. Piling of this type, particularly-where thetongues and grooves are presented by iron bars riveted to the piles, has various disadvantages, it being found that the rivets break or shear off while the piles are being driven. Moreover, known means for interconnecting the piles consist ing of a single tongue and a single mating. groove are .not satisfactory, for the reason that there is .no reciprocal guiding ofthe interlocking elements, and the piles are liable to separate. Interconnecting means are known in which the tongue and groove are conformably shaped to provide for guiding, the tongue and groove being, forinstance, of circular cross section. Such connections suf-. fer from the drawback that they tend to open jam one another and therefore impede or render pile driving difiicult.

The disadvantages mentioned are avoided by the invention according to which there-are formed on each longitudinal edge-of each pile a groove and a tongue together forming half.

of av connection and disposed at approximately right-angles to another and engageable with a corresponding tongueand groove" formed'on thev adjacent edge of the'adj'acent pile. Since, as a rule fthe lock or connection I is not arranged in the central plane of the piling but on-the outer face of the same, it is.

advisable to arrange the groove and tonguev ion one side of the pile in. such wise that a structure comprising a plurality of interconnected piles presents no'projecting parts on the outer face; Since there is formed on each edge of each pile a groove as well as a tongue disposed at right-angles to one another, there is obtained a double connection, that is to say, a connection in the longitudinal direction of the piling as well as transversely thereto.

In the accompanying drawings Fig. 1 isa cross-section of the cooperative edges of adjacent piles, the edges being separated from one another, constituting an open connection, and Fig. -2 is a similar view showing the two members engaging one" another to form a section, one. wall being gage a and b, Fig. 3. It Willbe understood outer-face of said 343,425, and ia Germany February 21, 192s.

closed connection or lock. Figs. 3 and 4 illustrate twoways of using the invention for constituting pile planking.

In the construction shown in Fig. 1 the groove a-is approximately square in cross formed by the tongue I). The tongue 01 and grove 0 on the adjacent edge of the adjacent pile form the mating half of the'connection and are shaped to enfrom Fig. 2 that the mating elements a and d are at right-angles to one another, as are the elements I) and 0, thus forming 'a rigid connection. The grove a of one pile and the tongue cl of the cooperating pile prevent any yielding or distortion of the two pilesina direction at right-angles to the piling, while the tongue 6 and the groove 0 prevent separation of the two piles in the direction of the piling, so that ruptureof the wall in both directions is avoided.

Thedisposition of the groovesand tongues issuch that when the piles are interconnected they present a smooth outer surface which fecilitates the application of bracings or the .li (e. As shown in Fig. 1 the tongue 6 of one pile is flush 'with'the outer face of said pile and is of approximately trapezoidal cross-section, the base of the trapezoid being next to the pile, while the tongue d of the other pile is 'joggled with respect to the outer face of said second pile and is of approximately square cross-section.v

-It will, be seen from Fig. 4 that it isnot absolutely necessary, to arrangerthe connection or look on the back of the pilin'g, the connection or lock, being'arranged on any part of the pilingflas may be found conven. ient.

The double connection is not, only of advantage for. restraining the piles in all directions; the tortuous nature of the contacting faces also improves and increases the water-tightness of the complete piling. The shaping of the grooves and tongues as described and shown has also the advantage of avoiding al'l'jammiug and blocking while the piles are being drlven, thereby eliminating the contingency of a driven pile bee-1 ing torn when an adjacent pile is being driven. Twisting and distortion uring driving, as have frequently occurred heretofore, are also eliminated.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is Metallic piling comprising a plurality of unitary, cooperating piles, each of which piles is provided at each end with offset tongues and grooves for connection with cooperating parts of the adjacent piles, the tongue of one of the two cooperating pile ends being flush with the outer face of the pile and of substantially trapezoidal cross section, the base of the trapezoid comprising the outer face of the said tongue, the corresponding tongue of the cooperating pile formingpart of the second half of the connection'and being inset with respect to the outer face of the pile on which it is formed and of approximately square cross section, to such an extent that the inner face is slight- .ly oblique to correspond to the trapezoidal shape of the first-named tongue, the grooves of each pile being shaped to fit the tongue of the adjacent pile, and a flap on one of the piles cooperating with the said trapezoidal tongue to prevent lateral movement of the piles relative to each other.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

JOHANNES NICOLAUS Will-[ELM]. 

